Chapter 281: Chapter 165: Grow Bigger and Stronger, Create New Glories
The Zhao Mansion wasn’t actually short on manpower. The estate had its Mansion Guards, and the Spiritual Ore mines and factories were also protected by Nursing Homes and Factory Guards.
Although the personnel were rather scattered, a careful count would reveal nearly a hundred men.
Lu Yuan explained, "Our family and its enterprises are vast. Sooner or later, we’ll need to grow bigger and stronger, to achieve even greater glory. Recruiting more Mansion Guards and Nursing Homes ahead of time is absolutely necessary."
A common man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a criminal.
Here in Taiping City, no one dared to cross the Zhao Mansion right now, but who can say what the future holds?
’I can’t stay in Taiping City forever,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’The family in the Zhao Mansion here will still need ample protection.’
"Whatever you decide, Brother, I’ll support you." Su Liyan didn’t understand such matters. As long as it was something he wanted to do, she would support him.
If they truly ran into any thorny issues, Su Liyan could actually handle them herself. After all, Bengbeng had already been born.
’What Brother says makes sense,’ Su Liyan thought. ’I can protect Lu Yuan, but I can’t protect everyone in the entire Zhao Mansion.’
Zhao Qiao’Er was extremely supportive of her precious darling’s work.
They had only just earned back the money spent on building the factories.
Now Lu Yuan was spending money lavishly again, and Aunt Zhao didn’t utter a single complaint.
Aunt Zhao herself belonged to her precious darling, so what was there to be reluctant about?
Everyone in the entire Zhao Mansion knew.
Aside from Madam Zhao, the one whose words held the most authority was the Young Nephew.
On the day of Lu Yuan’s recruitment drive for talented individuals.
The venue was a large, newly constructed courtyard on a sizable plot of land outside the city.
Lu Yuan named this walled-off area the Martial Hall.
The Martial Hall was still under construction. Its basic structure was complete, but it was essentially just a shell.
Once the place was finished, Lu Yuan planned to use it to train the Mansion Guards.
Having the Zhao Mansion’s Firearms Team constantly training in the rear courtyard wasn’t a sustainable solution, so Lu Yuan had chosen a better location. This spot outside the city was sparsely populated, ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed.
Lu Yuan stood on a high platform within the Martial Hall Courtyard.
This platform had been built specifically for him.
Below the platform, a row of Mansion Guards stood on either side, numbering about twenty in all.
The Mansion Guards all stood ramrod straight, with Big Treasure Swords hanging at their waists.
Their Sword Scabbards were all engraved with four words: "Taiping City Zhao Mansion."
Lu Yuan had commissioned these Treasure Swords from several famous Swordsmiths.
He had replaced all of the Mansion Guards’ old swords.
Lu Yuan was more than willing to invest heavily in his own people.
The prospective applicants looked at the brilliant uniforms and waist-worn swords of the Zhao Family Guards and began to whisper among themselves.
"Look at their swords. Each one must be worth a good amount of silver taels."
"You’re not wrong. The Zhao Mansion is the most prominent family in our Taiping City."
"You’re from Taiping City? I’m from the Provincial City."
"I’m from Luxi. I wonder if I have what it takes to get into the Zhao Mansion."
...
Standing in the great courtyard were at least a thousand applicants.
It seemed that anyone with a bit of skill from the surrounding cities had come to try their luck.
If they managed to get hired by the Zhao Mansion, the pay would be enough for lavish spending with plenty to spare.
Amidst the teeming crowd, one small group of people remained conspicuously calm.
They exchanged glances, noting their own people’s positions, then scanned their surroundings and remained silent.
This small group was precisely the one sent by Jinyiwei Commander Mao Xiang to infiltrate the Zhao Mansion.
Their leader was none other than Jiang Huai, the Central Guard Thousand Households of the Southern Town Patrol Department.
The last incident, where the tiger with the white-marked forehead was beaten to a pulp by Lu Yuan’s mother-in-law, was the work of a Xingzi under the Vice Commander of the Central Guard.
This time, Mao Xiang had specifically assigned the Central Guard of the Southern Town Patrol Department to complete the mission.
As Central Guard Thousand Households, Jiang Huai naturally understood his superior’s intentions and dared not treat the matter lightly.
Not only did he come personally to apply for a position in the Zhao Mansion, but he also brought most of the Central Guard’s elite. Eight of the ten Hundred Households were present, along with more than a dozen others, including Trial Hundred Households and General Banners.
This time, Jiang Huai had come with the resolve to succeed or die trying.
Standing on the high platform inside the courtyard, Lu Yuan raised a hand, signaling for the crowd to be quiet.
The applicants were surprisingly compliant. A wave of silence rolled from the front of the crowd to the back, and the noisy chatter gradually faded.
Seeing that the grounds had quieted down considerably, Lu Yuan motioned for the person beside him to hand him a megaphone.
Lu Yuan picked up the sheet-metal megaphone he had fashioned the night before and spoke.
"Welcome, everyone, to the recruitment for Mansion Guards. Due to the large number of applicants, I’ve decided to conduct the selection in three rounds."
Survival of the fittest has been the rule since ancient times. It’s the law of nature, and there’s nothing to complain about.
A fresh wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd upon hearing this.
’The Zhao Mansion’s selection for Mansion Guards is as strict as they say. Who ever heard of a three-round interview?’
Lu Yuan continued, "Will all Travelers please stand to the south. Spirit Binders, Celestial Masters, and Grand Celestial Masters, please form lines in that order, heading north."
It didn’t matter how many powerful experts were among the applicants, nor how much reverence they commanded in the outside world.
Once they stepped through the gates of this Martial Hall, they were prospective Mansion Guards here to earn a wage. Naturally, they had to follow Lu Yuan’s orders.
Lu Yuan was the one calling the shots!
The applicants on the field quickly separated into four lines. It was clear that the line for Grand Celestial Masters was the shortest.
Of course, some people tried to pass themselves off as something they weren’t, standing in the wrong line in hopes of a higher salary.
But there was no need to worry about them.
The next few rounds of assessment would weed them out.
Most Celestial Masters and Grand Celestial Masters practiced their cultivation in Daoist Temples.
But there was no shortage of those who had left their temples, or who had become Celestial Masters and Grand Celestial Masters through their own hard work.
These types of individuals were known as Wandering Celestial Masters and Wandering Grand Celestial Masters.
The one who had fought Su Liyan at the Yandu City South Thirty Li Castle was a Wandering Celestial Master who had been expelled from his Daoist Temple.
Some of them were good, some were bad; you couldn’t judge them all as one.
